Process and Strategy

The annual class video challenge gave every class a theme to interpret. Ours was perseverance, and we ran with a goofy story about slacker students who flunk their exams, stumble into a time-traveling toilet, and get a second chance to start over. I took on directing and editing simultaneously, not because anyone assigned me to, but because I needed to own the outcome. I was already insisting on Adobe Premiere Pro over anything simpler — a fixation that got me scolded for falling behind schedule, but one I refused to compromise on.

Creative Solution

Beyond cutting the narrative together, I pushed into territory most kids our age wouldn't touch: a chroma-keyed weather report segment with a composited Hong Kong skyline backdrop. I shot with an eye for framing and paced the edit to land its comedic beats at the right moments. I didn't fully know what I was doing — but I knew exactly what I wanted the audience to feel.

Results

When the film screened in the hall and the audience laughed on cue and went quiet when they were supposed to, something clicked into place. The satisfaction of moving people through a screen has never left me. Every project since has been chasing that same feeling.